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We found Captain Sonea waiting with Prince Mito and Emmy at our rendezvous point. Emmy, acting as his impromptu campaign manager, was boisterously extolling His Highness’s virtues while slapping him on the back with exaggerated cheerfulness.
Exchanging a bemused glance with him made it clear he wouldn’t ruin her fun, even if it came at his expense.
“Captain Lightbringer,” Emmy crowed, turning one slap into a dramatic shove that nudged the prince out of our way. “A farewell gift—so you won’t forget me.”
“There’s no way I ever could,” I said with sincerity as she handed me a small box tied with a blue ribbon. “May I open it now?”
She flung her fingers wide several times. “Of course, of course!”
I carefully pulled apart the tie and opened the present. It was a delicate gold locket, its surface engraved with a starburst. The design reminded me of Euphridia’s six-pointed star, but here, all the rays were of equal length, radiating outward in perfect symmetry. In the middle of the burst was a small blue gem, cut and polished to match the design. Inside, a tiny, polished mirror reflected my quizzical expression back at me.
“It should probably be bigger,” Emmy admitted in a reluctant tone. “But it would probably get in the way if it were. It’s just the right size for when you start second-guessing yourself. You can open it up and look yourself right in the eye to remind yourself who you are.”
A rueful chuckle escaped me. “I’m sure it will come in handy.”
She frowned a little, folding her arms. “There wasn’t enough time to get it engraved with your name, though.”
“That makes it all the more precious to me,” I replied, knowing the statement wouldn’t make sense to her. “Thank you for such a wonderful gift.”
The locket was light, but I associated a certain weight with it: the responsibility I had to those I was leaving behind. It wasn’t exactly burdensome since it meant I cared, but it still felt… heavy.
Prince Mito cleared his throat and gestured at the locket. “That small sapphire there was part of Holy Celestia, you know. That means it’s also from me.”
Emmy gave him a slightly disgusted look, then inhaled. “I took care of the design and the logistics. Even Relias blessed it. But you… You just supplied a decoration.”
“My contribution significantly increases its sentimental value,” His Highness retorted, a pout spreading across his face. “I want half the credit.”
“A quarter,” Emmy shot back.
“Nothing less than 40%,” he objected.
I wrapped Emmy up in one arm even while twisting and grabbing for Prince Mito with the other. “To expedite this argument, how about I just hug and thank you both at the same time?”
I’ll thank Relias later.
“Public displays of affection,” Prince Mito criticized in a mocking tone, giving me an awkward pat on the back. “Very unorthodox.”
What do you think you two were doing just as I arrived?
“Not at all true.” Emmy shook her head as she hugged me back. “Heroes don’t play favorites. This move was calculated so she could sidestep our whole performance. You’re getting better at this, Captain.”
I laughed, then pulled them in close to whisper, “Keep an eye on the General Assembly. Don’t let them backslide. Back up Father Irijah in any way you can… unless it doesn’t make sense. And stay in touch with Roderick and Master Landon, okay?” I paused, looking around. “And Kiko. I want her watched at all times for the next week, minimum.”
I’m not dragging a kid into a warzone.
“Relias?” I flinched as he suddenly leaned over my shoulder, holding up another communication orb.
“Rest easy,” he said with a small smile. “She’s currently in the Periphery with Fianna.”
“She was supposed to stay in the Inner Sanctum!”
Relias shook his head. “The Lieutenant caught her scurrying up one of the south towers. I think the plan is to assign her to the Temple’s scullery for a little while as a wholesome distraction.”
Stolen novel; please report.
At least that’ll give us a head start.
“How long will we be able to maintain contact with the Order of the Silver?” I asked, noting the orb looked dull even from this distance.
“We’ll probably lose it within the first hour of our journey,” he admitted. “We can still rely on Safir for a little while after that, but ultimately, we’ll be pressed to use even slower modes of communication.”
“Herald messengers may be slow, but they’re reliable,” Captain Sonea informed us as she adjusted the straps on her saddle, her tone as practical as her movements. “We train them well. They know the terrain better than most of us.” She then glanced meaningfully at Aurum. "Chosen One, your input would be useful for final checks before we head out. Care to join me?"
I nodded to Relias and said my farewells to His Highness and Emmy, trying to look confident as I said I would return as soon as possible. After mounting Aurum, I rode off with Captain Sonea, heading farther away from the city. However, after a few minutes of trotting, she pulled her mount to a halt and looked around, her eyes somewhat clouded with concern. “Here should suffice.”
We weren’t anywhere near anything that seemed to need checking. In fact, we were in an open field between two partitioned units, both of which appeared to have long since gathered their supplies and were waiting for the command to move out.
“Something… you want to talk about?” I asked, feeling an awkward tension rising between us. “Away from prying ears?”
This isn't going to be some... 'show me your moves' sort of thing, is it?
“A few somethings,” she nodded, leaning back in the saddle. After a long pause and a loud sigh, she advised, “You shouldn’t have any trouble commanding the knights, but the sharpstriders may give you a bit of trouble.”
“Sharpstriders?” I asked, even as I mentally lined up a few more questions.
“‘Mounted crossbow wielders’ is… a little too long of a title for them,” she said with a small laugh. “They came up with their own name and are quite proud of it. I recommend you refer to that when you issue orders to them. It may help them navigate the transition in leadership.” Although her voice was clear and light, something in her eyes suggested she was unsettled.
I was also unsettled.
“Which brings me to question number two,” I mumbled. “Why am I the one in command?”
Captain Sonea’s face tensed slightly. “Do you mean to delegate your authority to someone else from your party? Relias, perhaps? My apologies, but I had not considered such—”
“Let’s take a step back even further,” I interrupted, holding up a hand. “Captain Sonea, you are Captain of the Order of the White?”
“That is correct.”
I swung my arm wide. “And all these people around us make up the Order of the White?”
“Yes.”
“And you are escorting me and my companions to the frontlines, right?”
She straightened in her saddle considerably. “Captain Corwin said I should defer—”
“Corwin!” I shouted in both realization and exasperation. “Look, I don’t know what he said to you, but there’s no way I should take the lead on this. I don’t know the capacity of your army, I don’t know the distance, the terrain, what resources you have on hand.” I folded my arms, trying to look as stern as possible. “Captain Sonea, I hereby refuse to do your job.”
She stared for a moment, and I swear I could see her putting it all together. “Pfft!”
Did she just laugh at me?
“Your… right eyebrow…” she said, covering her mouth. “Forgive me, but it seems to be twitching…”
“Corwin,” I muttered, rubbing at it. “It’s his fault this time.”
Don’t get me wrong, I admire his tenacity. But sometimes he could be so pigheaded over the slightest things… Especially if he ever felt someone had slighted him.
A sharp, ringing laugh burst from her, carrying across the field and turning a few heads among her troops. “Oh, this was his latest attempt at revenge, wasn’t it? He said you’d take charge, and I’d have to follow every command, no matter how strange it was.” She straightened herself up, mimicking a deep, authoritative tone. “Don’t let her easygoing demeanor deceive you. She’ll devour you whole and anyone else foolish enough to cross her path.”
“Devour? Me?”
She nodded, a wry smile tugging at her lips. “I should have seen this coming. Normally, I’m not so easily duped, but… well, things have been a little tense as of late.”
“Just what happened between you two, anyway?” I asked about a second before wisdom suggested it wasn’t any of my business.
Captain Sonea shrugged a little. “We trained together. We’ve been friends since our academy days…” Her gaze drifted toward the horizon. “He’s probably upset I didn’t tell him about Jessamy. It’s not that I intentionally kept a secret from him … I just didn’t want to be that twin during my training. If I had mentioned it, there would have been endless questions about how similar we are, followed by the constant comments when they found out we’re not. I just wanted to avoid all that and focus on being my own person. Maybe that was selfish of me.”
“I don’t think so. I probably would have done something similar,” I replied, reflecting on a few conversations with Corwin. “You didn’t, uh, ever ask Jessamy to take your place when talking with him, though, did you?”
That's undoubtedly a twin trope if I ever heard of one.
“No, Jessamy could never fool him face-to-face,” she asserted. Her gaze softened as she looked away again, her voice dropping slightly. “And there was no way I wanted them to meet.”
“Why shouldn’t they… Oh. Oh!”
There are some things you just don’t want to share.
“Chosen One,” she said with a hint of barb. “I wouldn’t dare presume your thoughts, but you should know that my relationship with Captain Corwin is strictly professional.”
I took a considerable risk at that moment, not knowing her well enough. “That’s a shame. Well, who knows what the future holds, right?”
While a tolerant smile teased at the corners of her lips, she maintained her composure. “I believe we’ve wasted more than enough time in speculation, Captain. Let’s gather the troops and move out. And to clarify, you and your companions will follow my orders.”
“It’ll be just as you say, Captain,” I agreed, nodding as I adjusted Aurum’s reins. “I have enough other things to worry about.”
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